Stuck In Reverse
by Nightmare Flame
Summary: Chapter Four: "Kill the traitors, Executioner WarriorBlade." I narrowed my eyes at my friends. "...Certainly, Captain."
1. Halcyon—Nightmare Flame

Halcyon

* * *

Deadlox stared up at the night sky. He had strayed off the gravel path in his haste to get to Astrid's resting place, and the scents around him weren't familiar. He frowned, hearing monsters starting to spawn. He howled softly, and got a few dozen responses. He called for the closest one, but when it didn't arrive immediately, he took out a few torches and turned into his guardian form and waited.

He didn't know how long he waited, but he had fallen asleep... And woken to a rabid werewolf staring him down.

This day couldn't get ANY worse.

Deadlox rolled his eyes and crouched, preparing to turn into a wolf, but his eyes widened as he realized there were bite marks on his left arm. He couldn't turn into a wolf.

He was vulnerable to the foam-mouthed werewolf who looked ready to kill him in some gruesome way, except...  
Feeling fairly light-headed, more so since he was human again, he hefted up his sword, trying to ignore the now-crimson blood dripping from his arm, which was harder than he remembered it being. He cried out and struck down the beast, but it shook off the blade and lunged.

* * *

"There's a wolf in the woods. A werewolf," said Jerome in concern, shrugging on a sweater. "I'm going out."

"Dude, Deadlox IS a werewolf," snorted Bajan, throwing himself back on the couch.

"It's a Waxing Gibbous. Deadlox doesn't turn into a hostile werewolf on the Waxing Gibbous," replied Jerome curtly. He grabbed Sky's arm and pulled, adding, "And this werewolf is literally tearing someone apart."

Sky shuddered as he remembered the way Deadlox had been passed out, dripping gray blood all over the grass, staining it. If...

"Get going," snapped Sky to Bajan, who leaped to his feet and took up a diamond sword. He watched as Ssundee raised a hand to his sunglasses, Jason fiddled with an iron sword and diamond pickaxe, Mudkip grabbed his bag of TNT, Jerome lifted Betty, and Sky tightened his fingers around the hilt of his butter sword, feeling the familiar worn leather grip around it, smiling as warmth spread through his fingers. Then the smile dissipated.

"Let's go."

* * *

Sky felt his heart sink when the coppery, heavy scent of blood intruded his nostrils, whom had been very happy at the moment, taking in the smells of pine trees. He glanced over at Jerome, who was leaning on a nearby tree looking very sick, while Bajan tried to calm him, and squared his shoulders. He had to take the burden off the other's lives. He walked forward—

And immediately regretted walking into the clearing.

There was a pure white wolf with dark brown streaks in its fur near its ears, where Deadlox's headphones were located. It was positively covered with blood.

"Hey, boy," called Sky softly. The wolf didn't even flinch, and Sky had a sinking suspicion of who it was. Those headphones were too familiar.

"Ty?"

The wolf's ears flicked.

The others stared. THEIR Deadlox, a wolf? A non-human?

"Okay, this is weird," stated Jason, watching calmly as Bajan hurried forward with a healing potion. It slowly came into effect, and the wolf relaxed.

Sky sighed.

"We need to talk."

* * *

A wolf, albeit a weak one, was now occupying Deadlox's favorite spot, the foot of the ornate chair that Jason was sitting in.

They had figured out that Deadlox-wolf could understand basic yes or no questions, and write out short words. So now they were interrogating him.

"Deadlox." A statement, not a question, and the wolf didn't entirely feel compelled to answer. But then Jason said insistently, "Ty, look at me."

The wolf looked up and found himself looking straight at the spaceman.

"What happened?"

The wolf winced, then wrote sloppily on the paper with a claw:

"Werwllf cam fter me an i culdnf rn"

Though most of the text was smudged, there was no mistaking. And then Seto said quietly,

"You're not just A werewolf anymore, Deadlox," said the sorcerer quietly.

"You're a Halcyon werewolf. A were stuck in the form of a wolf."

**A/N: **  
** Me: Check my profile for more talk about different werewolves.**

**Astrid: WTF you are obsessed!**

**Me: Of course I am. Anyways... Star-gaze, Nightmare Army, and GOOD NIGHT!**

**Astrid: *Waves* DARKSOMEONE41 SIGNING OUT! *Salutes and waves* C YA!**


	2. Demon Sky—DARKSOMEONE41

Demon Sky—DARKSOMEONE41

* * *

Sky's POV

* * *

Nope. Can't catch me. Too quick for you.  
A bullet flew at me before I turned sideways and it whizzed by me. I  
grin and laughed at the hunters.  
"I'm a demon. You're wolf hunters. You're out of your league," I  
taunted. I flew up a tree using by large, black, bird wings, a 20 feet  
wingspan. I tucked them in quickly and began to hop from tree to tree.  
The warm summer night wind blew in my face and I could still hear the  
hunters search for me.  
I sighed in content as I changed my eyes. They became bright orange  
and slits. The headache from hold in the change didn't exactly go away  
but good enough. There was no way I'd change this close to hunters, no  
matter what kind.  
Using my lessons from Deadlox, I stopped running and I hid in a  
crouched position and watched as the hunters stopped and looked  
around.  
"WHERE IS HE?!" Hunter #1 yelled, waving his gun around.  
"I don't know but find him!" Another hunter yelled. He looks like a  
gangster. HI GANGSTER #1!  
"And why should we? We don't know you!" Hunter #2 argued.  
"I don't know you either! Why are you saying 'we'?!" Hunter #1 replied angrily.  
"Oh my Notch! Just shut up! Let's just find the damn thing so we can  
collect the reward money," Hunter #3 snapped.  
"Who died and made you boss?" Gangster #1 growled.  
"The little intelligence you had left," Hunter #3 retorted. Not good.  
Someone smart is on their team. Shit.  
Taking a deep breath, I silently climbed the branches of the tree so I  
could hide more.  
Unfortunately for me, a twig was loose and before I could stop it with  
my super speed, it fell and hit every other loose branch. They all  
fell out of the tree and landed on the ground.  
Are you freaking kidding me right now?  
The hunters ran to my tree and I stood paralyzed. There's no way I can  
move without being caught.  
I looked back at the hunters and that's when I slipped up horribly.  
My eyes glowed and they saw me. They saw my glowing eyes and whipped  
their guns towards me. They began shooting at me over and over again  
with their pistols. Using my super speed, I was able to dodge most  
bullets. Most.  
Hunter #3 was able to get 10 bullets into me because I was surrounded  
in a tight tree. I let out a demon bird screech, which is like a  
hawk's call just slightly deeper.  
"I got him!" Hunter #3 yelled. He jumped into the tree and wrestled me  
to the ground.  
I gasped in pain. Silver and regular bullets aren't supposed to hurt this much!  
Gangster #1 waved his gun. "Black bullets. We're not stupid."  
"I'm not. You are," Hunter #3 muttered.  
Black bullets! One bullet can kill a demon in an hour! 10...I'll give  
myself 10 minutes. I am so sorry, Deadlox.  
::::FLASHBACK::::  
"Sky, I know you can do it. Just try!" Deadlox said calmly.  
"I am trying! I tried...5 times!" I yelled in frustration.  
"Sky, we don't want you to get killed and those eyes are a dead  
giveaway. The Count and I are trying to help you. You just need to  
try," Deadlox replied, voice steely calm meaning he was trying control  
his wolf anger.  
I snapped. "Oh shut up, you worthless piece of shit. You don't know  
anything about being a demon. You know nothing at all. It's a wonder  
how you have friends."  
"You know what? Fine, Sky. You can figure out how to survive on your  
own. The Count and I tried but you're such an ass. I'm done. Figure it  
out yourself." And with that, Deadlox turned around and walked back  
into the house.  
::::END OF FLASHBACK::::  
"Nighty night, Demon Bird," Hunter #1 sneered, pointing his gun at my  
head. I closed my eyes, awaiting the bullet. It never came.  
A loud series of howls came from nearby and the hunters stopped.  
"Grab the silver guns!" Hunter #3 ordered. "It's the werewolf!"  
The werewolf...Deadlox?  
I opened my eyes slightly to see multiple sets of multicolored eyes  
staring at us in the dark.  
The eyes came closer and turned out to be a whole pack of multicolored  
wolves. There were two different wolves from the rest though. One was  
a large dark blue wolf with red eyes and tips everywhere. The second  
one was a large black wolf with green eyes and tips. It also had nine  
green-tipped tails.  
"Dead...lox...Count," I whispered quietly.  
The black and green one looked at me then pounced at Hunter #3. The  
rest of the wolves attacked the others.  
As the fight went on, I tried to sit up, only to be pushed down by the  
blue and red wolf.  
"Lie down, Demon Bird. You are injured beyond walking limits. Master  
Deadlox will help us soon."  
"Black...Bullets...10," I forced out.  
Somehow, The Count understood. He nodded and barked to Deadlox.  
Deadlox's head snapped over to me and left the hunter. He quickly but  
carefully picked me up and we ran home at the speed of light. We  
approached home and Jerome was outside, relaxing.  
He saw us and opened the door. Deadlox turned human for me to be  
carried in his arms. We all ran inside, including The Count, and went  
straight to the medical bay.  
Bajan and TrueMU, being in the living room, saw us and ran to the  
medical bay as well.  
Deadlox placed me on the hospital bed and Bajan and TrueMU immediately  
set to work. They both grabbed tweezers and started pulling out all of  
the bullets. There were two in my left leg, one in each arm, two in my  
right shoulder, one in my right leg, three in my abdomen, and one near  
my heart. They pulled them all out as I started fading in and out of  
consciousness.  
"Nope! We need you awake, Sky!" Jerome ordered as he handed Bajan  
stitches. TrueMU started cleaning my wounds and Bajan followed,  
stitching them up. I nodded slightly and stared at the ceiling, trying  
not to scream as they cleaned and stitched. I felt someone and  
something touch my leg. I didn't even bother to look. I knew who they  
were.  
TrueMU and Bajan put everything away and asked if anything was hurt. I  
shook my head.  
"Okay. You have a choice to either stay here for the night or go to  
your room. You are not going back outside," TrueMU said.  
"I'll stay here," I muttered. He nodded and everyone but Deadlox left.  
Deadlox closed the door and walked back to my bed. I tried to sit up  
and pull in my wings since I was really uncomfortable from lying on  
them but bullet wounds stopped me.  
Deadlox carefully sat me up and I slowly drew in my wings. My head was  
throbbing from pain and from holding in my transformation but there  
was no way I could transform now.  
"Sky, are you okay?" Deadlox asked, concerned.  
"Why?" I muttered.  
"Why what?"  
"Why did you come for me? Why did you save me? After all I said..."  
Deadlox looked out the window and into the night. I stared at the  
blankets covering my leg. "I knew you didn't mean it. I'm the same way  
on the nights of my forced transformations. Cranky, sarcastic, rude.  
So I know you didn't mean it."  
"What if I did mean it?"  
He looked at me and I looked at him. "Well I still can't let you die, can I?"  
We were quiet for a moment.  
"I'm sorry," I apologized.  
He smiled slightly. "As am I. I didn't mean it."  
"Hm. Me too."  
"Hold on one second," he winked. He opened the door and stuck his head  
out. "AY YO COUNT!"  
I heard soft padding until the Count walked into the room. "Very  
formal, Master Deadlox."  
Deadlox shrugged. "Can you help?"  
"Ah. Transforming. Yes. I can. This will only sting a bit." The  
Count's eyes closed and my wounds began to disappear before they were  
fully gone. No scars.  
"Thank you, Count," I smiled.  
He gave me a wolfish smile. "You are very welcome. Now fly, Master Sky."  
I hopped out of the bed and opened the window. I climbed onto the roof  
and handed Deadlox my glasses via the window. I spread my wings and  
let my eyes glow. I let a black and orange light consume me.  
TrueMU, Jerome, and Bajan were outside and stood to watch me transform.  
When the light disappeared, I was a large black raven with a fifty  
foot wingspan. My beak was sharp and my teeth were pure white fangs.  
My orange eyes shone brightly and my talons were black and sharp. I  
let out a screech and took off, headache slowly fading away. I turned  
my head to see Deadlox giving Bajan my sunglasses.  
He turned into his guardian form and I flew towards them.  
"I'll race to Mount Redwood," I challenged.  
"You are so on," Deadlox growled. And off we went, flying and running  
like the wind, as if nothing would get in our way.


	3. Ender Dragon—Nightmare Flame

Stuck In Reverse

* * *

Ender Dragon Seto—Nightmare Flame

* * *

One long, gray-ridged black tail, wrapped around an obsidian column.

Large black wings with violet webbing, lying loose on the end-stone ground.

A large dragon head, sad violet eyes, dulled black scales of shock and pain and most of all, depression.

It has been four months since they forced him into the End, when he saw their guilty expressions and one's terrified face. Four months since he's eaten anything, slept, or even moved. The End Portal has been completely dormant. He is officially the King of the End, with a large group of Ender Dragons at his command and Endermen under his rule. But he feels far from kingly, far from top shape. He doesn't want to be here, he wants to be in the OverWorld, with his... no, they're not his friends anymore. They made that clear enough for him... Especially Bajan. 19-year-old Mitch Bajan Canadian, who he trusted second most besides Deadlox, who had betrayed him with a guilty expression and an apologetic hanging of the head.

He wants to be in the OverWorld, maybe with Deadlox. Maybe a few exceptions, like Kermit or Caveman. But no others. No more traitors.

He hears the none-too-familiar sound of the portal opening. He allows himself a mirthless smile. He's tried to smile, or laugh, anything to make himself happy just a little while longer, but they never work. Now, the best you can see is the shadow of a snort, a smile, both not the same that they used to be.

Then he senses the aura.

There's several.

Red-and-black.

Gold-and-black.

Black-and-blue.

Brown.

Blue-and-orange.

Pale blue.

And the most familiar, a green and black aura.

He recognizes all of them.

"Team Crafted."

He turns his head. He can hear Bajan's gasp, Deadlox's angry rumble as he turns on the others, Sky's sad shake of the head.

Seto's upset grumble interrupts them all. "Might as well die. I don't have anyone else left to live for."

He gives an acknowledging nod towards Deadlox, whose eyes are wide. "You're giving us a freaking SUICIDE NOTE?"

Seto smiles wryly. "Except I can't die, can I? You guys put me in an asylum. I'm in Hell right now."

He manages to summon enough energy to turn into a human, and as soon as he does, he slumps against the obsidian column.

Seto's piercing, but dulled, violet eyes immediately flit to Deadlox. He flushes with guilt and looks at the endstone at his feet.

And Seto does the unthinkable.

He laughs.

All eyes dart towards his narrow, pale face in disbelief. However mirthless, however sorrowful it is, he just laughed.

His right hand—which is bandaged, everyone notes—goes to his eyes and covers them, blocking the flow of tears that are sure to follow. He is unable to conceal the glitter that falls from between his fingers, however. Bajan's guilty expression turns, if possible, even guiltier.

"I-if you guys h-had j-just lef-left me... I-I m-might have been able to g-get over i-it...!" Here he breaks off to give a slightly insane laugh. "B-but... Th-then y-you g-guys ab-abandoned me..."

Finally Bajan bursts out. "I'm sorry!" He glances around at the others, who appear surprised at his shout. He continues.

"I'm really, really sorry! I swear... I swear I didn't mean... I was stupid, I was convinced—"

"That I was a monster," finishes Seto calmly. Bajan swallows.

"Well, y-yes."

Seto's expression darkens, his hood cloaking his eyes.

"I know. I know what you all saw in me, and I know that you were afraid of it."

He stands, his expression grim.

"I... I can't accept the apology. I'll end up hurting someone, or worse... And I can't afford that."

"I'm sorry," whispers Bajan one last time.


	4. Warrior—DARKSOMEONE41

Warrior Bajan (FIN)

* * *

::::BAJAN'S POV::::

* * *

I stood next to the guys on the pirate ship we were infiltrating. Illegal gun shipments were heading to the shore of Redwood. If the guns were to reach the city, gangs and heists will appear, disrupting the peace and city of our homeland.  
Whenever we go on a mission, we pretend as if we don't know each other. We can't afford to worry about each other on the battlefield. Five against one hundred is not a good chance. I don't think I can take much more of this captain. I'll tear him apart.  
"My lieutenant told me that we have some infiltrators on my ship!" Captain KillStar yelled in a British accent. "I will give these people ten seconds to show their faces before it gets bloody."  
I glanced at my friends as they looked at me in expectance as I was leading this mission. I raised a finger to my hip and drew a line horizontally. They understood: Wait.  
"One...two," the captain started to count. "Three...four...five...six-"  
Suddenly, three people fell to the deck, dropped from the sail by Lieutenant DarkBlood.  
"Captain," DarkBlood called from his perch on the sail. "These traitors were found trying to escape."  
KillStar smiled gleefully. "Great job, Lieutenant. Now, where is Executioner WarriorBlade?"  
Upon hearing the stupid name the captain had given me when we first arrived, I walked forward, black combat boots clicking against the wooden planks.  
I stopped in front of the captain staring coldly into his green eyes. "Yes, Captain KillStar?"  
He looked at me and took in my outfit approvingly. Black pirate jacket with two tails in the back, silver jacket buttons, ripped black pants, black combat boots, cold brown eyes, long brown hair, black belt with holsters for my swords and other weapons, and black gloved hands.  
"I need you to kill these traitors."  
I glared coldly at the trio, who stared fearfully back at me. I was a well known pirate on this ship since I was the merciless executioner. One word then off with your head.  
"Understood, Captain," my low voice rumbled. "They will be taken care of immediately." I moved to take the trio to the execution chamber when the Captain stopped me.  
"WarriorBlade, do it here. In front of your shipmates."  
He's planning something, my warm heart said. Protect you friends.  
No. This is a mission, my cold heart argued. They can take care of themselves. We need a battle strategy.  
I have one: Run away and grab your friends.  
No. I have something better.  
I grinned. "Yes, Captain."  
I unsheathed my long sword. The sword was thin enough to slip through the organs and slice the heart in half. The silver metal had blood stains but not from humans.  
I slew animals with this sword before hopping on the ship, giving the impression that I was merciless killer who kept track of his kills, making me a perfect executioner, the deadliest person on board.  
The black metal hilt was cold but the black gloves on my hand kept me warm.  
I moved my sword above the first pirate's head. In the corner of my eye, I saw my friends twitch, ready from the signal, hands hovering over their swords but not noticeably.  
I turned my attention to the pirates in front of me. The captain was anxiously waiting behind me.  
In a split second, my sword was backwards and in the captain's stomach. I was kneeling on one knee, back turned to the victim and head bowed, a killing position.  
Battle cries erupted around me, Lieutenant DarkBlood the loudest. I was rushed from all sides but the three pirates I was supposed to execute, stood up and drew their own weapons.  
TrueMU dropped behind me from nowhere, scaring the crap out of me but I didn't show it.  
His brown hair covered one of his blue eyes. He nodded and pushed his black combat booted feet off the deck.  
We all wore the same outfit but different colored coats. Sky had grey, TrueMU had dark blue, Jerome had brown, and Deadlox had dark green.  
Sky appeared next to me, obsidian sword drawn. "Nice acting," he smirked, slicing an attacking pirate's throat. The enemy choked on his own blood before dying.  
"Mm. It was a last minute thing," I said.  
Deadlox appeared next to us. "Bajan, we have a problem."  
"What is it?" I asked, shoving my sword into someone's stomach.  
"The ship is sinking. A pirate blew a hole in it."  
"Damn!" I growled. "Grab Jerome and TrueMU. Sky and I will take care of everything else."  
Deadlox nodded and pushed himself off the ground, catapulting over everyone. Sky and I nodded to each other, both of us thinking the same thing.  
We pushed onto pirates' shoulders and lifted off the ground again. We twisted, facing the mob behind us. Sky threw throwing knives at the pirates, hitting several in the eyes. I whipped out two pistols, one in each hand, and shot. Tens of pirates fell to the ground as Sky and I landed on the mast.  
Sky raced across the sail to the end that hung above the steering wheel. He dropped down and I went above him.  
Dozens of pirates were falling to the ground on both sides of the ship, from me and Sky to the other three.  
I continued shooting as I dropped down next to Sky. I whipped away my guns and took out my sword.  
Pirates surrounded us as Sky try to steer the sinking ship toward land. Wherever that was.  
I slashed through pirates, blood flying in arches over our heads before landing. That's when Jerome and Deadlox appeared.  
They shoved their swords into pirates and yanked them out in a second before heading to the next one.  
Jerome crouched, allowing me to roll over him and shove my sword into a pirate's head.  
We slashed, shoved, stabbed, and sliced, determined to get home alive. I was not going to die on this ship. Not now, not ever. And neither were my friends.  
The battle had narrowed down to Lieutenant DarkBlood and three other pirates. They advanced towards me, swords poised in a deadly position.  
The ship was swaying side to side, giving the impression that we had about fifteen minutes before we capsized.  
"Deadlox," I said. He appeared next to me, awaiting orders. "Get the lifeboat ready with the others. I'll be there soon." He nodded and I heard them run away to the lifeboat.  
"It's between us now, WarriorBlade," DarkBlood growled furiously. "Just us."  
"Tell that to you little sidekicks," I retorted. DarkBlood glared at the three pirates before slitting their throats with lightning speed.  
"What sidekicks?" DarkBlood teased, only succeeding in me wanting to kill him even more.  
"The ones you're about to join."  
We began to move in a circle, waiting for the other to strike. After half a minutes of doing so, DarkBlood launched himself at me. I raised my sword, one hand on the hilt and the other on the blade. DarkBlood's sword was vertical and clashed hard against mine.  
I moved my left foot back a little to give me more power and force. I shoved my sword forward, throwing him away. DarkBlood slid on his back as he lacked the acrobatic skills I had.  
He scowled and threw himself at me again. Our swords clashed diagonally, vertically, and horizontally. We were at a stalemate. We were equal. He would thrust and I would dodge. I would slash and he would parry. Finally, I decided to step up my game.  
I had approximately three minutes left. I better make this quick.  
My eyes searched skillfully around DarkBlood, searching for his weakest areas and less guarded limbs.  
There! I thought. Left side of his hip!  
I grinned as I knew I won. I thrust my sword to his chest. He moved his left arm, his dominant hand, to block, leaving his hip unguarded. I changed direction and stabbed him right in his weakest point.  
He cried out and his guard crumbled. I took that as an opportunity to attack. I hacked and slashed at my enemy. Blood was everywhere. I stabbed DarkBlood in the head and didn't hesitate to run to the lifeboat after the murder.  
The guys were still there on the lifeboat, worry plastered on their faces. I hopped on to the boat, landing next to TrueMU. We instantly graabbed the paddles and pushed ourselves away from the sinking ship. We had just barely gotten out of the way as the boat capsized, bringing all the dead bodies and guns down with it.

"I'm exhausted!" Sky complained, throwing himself on the couch.

"Same," I yawned, plopping myself on the floor.

"Nice leading today, Bajan," TrueMU complimented, sitting on the love seat.

"Thanks."

Jerome and Deadlox threw themselves onto the chairs by the table in the corner of the living room. They took out cards and began to play.

"Honestly, I didn't think we'd get out of there on time," Deadlox said. "But how? How the hell do you manage to get us out of the tightest of situations, Bajan?"

I smirked. "It's part of my nature. Fast thinker."

"You're a freaking hunter," Jerome muttered jokingly, causing us to snicker.

The front door burst open and two girls rushed in.

"You're back!" Lola exclaimed.

"Thank Notch you guys are okay!" Detroit praised. She paused. "You guys are okay right?"

"Just a few cuts and bruises," Deadlox said, waving off concern. "We're fine. Where were you guys? You could've come along."

"Kroak Forest," Lola answered. "We were visiting MunchigBrotato."

"Ah."

"So what happened? Who was leading?" Detroit asked. Sky sat up on the couch, allowing the two girls to sit next to him.

As the others began to tell them the story, I was in deep thought.

I almost got them killed tonight. I need to step up my game. I cannot allow that to happen again. I frowned. I will not allow that to happen again.


	5. Mozaik Role—Nightmare Flame

Stuck In Reverse

Mozaik Role

{Line Break}

Enderlox.

An unwanted, unneeded entity with Ender abilities, a creature borne of hatred and bitterness, feeding off of terror and anger.

He swallows the mind of Deadlox, who acknowledges Enderlox as a being.

Of course, life with Enderlox is never easy. The mishaps of Deadlox and Enderlox, however, are kept alive.

[...]

{Are we going to the beach?}

"Yes, Enderlox, we're going to the beach. It's best 'cause there's no one there."

{I never told you about the time when you were younger and I was younger that we almost drowned, did I.}

"I don't think you did. Besides, I don't need to hear about it."

{Yes you do! And that's the reason I HATE WATER!}

I roll my eyes. "Guys, hold up, we can't go yet."

Mitch groans. "You suuuuuck!" He yells at me playfully.

"It's not my fault," I toss back. "It's that bastard Enderlox."

Immediately everyone clusters around me. "He's not... Hurting you, Ty?"

I step away from the crowd and say, "Not yet, but I expect he might soon if I keep ignoring him. In fact, he's starting to give me a migraine. WHAT, ENDERLOX?!" I have reached the point where I speak out loud to Enderlox around my friends so that they can keep track of the conversation.

{Will you keep listening to me when I start a conversation with you!}

"Sounds more like a command than a suggestion," I comment. "And besides, I've got two worlds to worry about, my head and my body. Don't start," I warn Sky, who's wolf-whistling at me. He sits back down on the couch with Lola and Jason.

{God, you're such a—}

"Hey, Ty? Can you please sit down? You're pacing and turning really pale and you're making me nervous that you're gonna faint."

I make a grumbling noise but sit down anyway. "Anyway... I can imagine you hate water, End. You're an Endercreature and they generally don't like water."

{It's a traumatizing experience for any Endercreature to go into water. A lot of newly spawned Endercreatures dip themselves in water to remind themselves never to go into that stuff again, then keep their word. It's actually very efficient.}

"Oh jeez," I reply, hand over my mouth and feeling legitimately sick that they would do that kind of thing to themselves.

"Ty, you okay? You—you really look like you should stop."

"I'm always like this when I talk to Enderlox!" I snap. "Please calm down!"

Jerome steps back, arms up halfway in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, okay. Jesus, you're twitchy whenever you're partly in this world and partly in the other."

A stab of pain takes over me, like a blow between my temples, and though no one actually has struck me, the pain is so real that I reel backwards, and all I hear is the woozy voice of Enderlox.

{...Nn... What just happened...?}

"...Uh..."

"Ty! Are you okay?! Say something, please!"

"Are you stupid, or blind, Ian?! He just did!"

"Will you stop fighting and try to help him!"

"Ender... Lox...?"

{I... I'm here...}

"What... What was that...?"

{I think... Think it... Was the shock... Of my Mozaik Role... Taking over... Your mind...}

And that became the first day being a Mozaik Role became a threat to my life.

[...]

{Oh my God. Stay awake, Ty, please.}

"I... can't..."

{Yes you can. You've fought countless battles with those—whatever you call them, the blue squishy sh#t!}

"I'm... I... Don't have... The energy to..."

{Goddammit, Ty. You need to keep. Your eyes. Open.}

"Looks... Like... I'll... See... You... In... Death..."

{TY!}

[...]

The next time I awaken, I am not greeted by the sarcastic, mocking voice of the strange Endercreature that has somehow grown on me despite feeding off of my mind.

Just silence.

My friends stare at me in worry. They ask me empty, hollow questions:

"Are you feeling okay?"

"What happened?"

"You alright?"

Just silence.

They seem to realize what's wrong. At least, Sky does first. Normally Seto would've, but Seto is not here, at least not right now.

"Where's Enderlox?" He says gently. The others instantly quiet. I swallow and tilt my head.

"I... I can't hear him."

{I'm sorry. Goodbye.}

"What?!" I sit up immediately, panicking, not believing what he's saying to me. After the four years of being a good Mozaik Role, he's leaving?!

{Because I'm harming you.}

THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO LEAVE! PLEASE!

{I'm sorry... Goodbye.}


End file.
